Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Earl, Lord Cathcart, for bringing this matter back. I understand that, in moving an amendment that relates to the scheme, he is particularly exercised about the reports. I fully accept the intent behind the noble Earl’s amendments: to ensure that Natural England does everything that it can and that is reasonable to ensure that those with an interest who need the information get it. I agree that it is important that Natural England makes this information available. The provision in the Bill, which we agreed in Committee, requires Natural England to make information about the scheme available as soon as is reasonably practical and in a manner that it considers appropriate. We have not prescribed the formats in which it must publish the information, as that would run the risk of omitting formats that may be particularly relevant locally or that may become available in the future. We have all acknowledged that we do not legislate on these matters very frequently, so it is important that the legislation is future-proofed as far as possible, but I fully accept that how information is made available and how landowners, occupiers and others with an interest in the proposals are engaged in the consultation process is of great importance. The availability to them of key documents, including information on the scheme and Natural England’s reports, will be of considerable relevance. I also take the noble Earl’s point about parish councils and the example of planning notices. Those are very important and good points to make, and I will ensure that Natural England understands that as well. We debated the internet. The concern is that information would be posted only on the internet and that those who were not aware that it was going to be posted or who did not use the internet would have great difficulty in finding it. I very much agree with that point of view. The intention is not simply to post information about the scheme on the internet, although we expect the net to be used extensively. On the other hand, we want to bear in mind the environmental and financial costs of producing lots of hard copies. We want to get the balance right. The aim is to minimise the number of printed copies, but we will look to see whether there are other means by which key documents can be made available. I understand that public libraries have been used to make available other similar pieces of work and reports. In conclusion, the noble Earl’s point is well made. We want Natural England to do everything that it can to ensure that relevant information is made available, and we accept that, while the internet is an important medium in which to do so, it should not be the only medium. I also accept the need to ensure that parish councils are thought about. That is also an issue for local authorities. We have just had a debate on the role of local authorities, which we all agree want to play an important part and work in conjunction with Natural England in preparing plans for coastal access. We are, of course, talking about top-tier local authorities, but non-metropolitan district councils in two-tier local government have an important role to play, as do parish councils. I fully accept that. That should also apply to Natural England in the information that it provides.